


Keeping You With Me

by hehkhatea



Series: Widojest Week 2k19 [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Dancing, Exactly What It Says on the Tin, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, No Proofreading We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 01:39:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19735774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hehkhatea/pseuds/hehkhatea
Summary: Preparations for a Dynasty Ball leads Jester to want and practice dancing, and Caleb is her only partner.Day 1 of Widojest Week 2k19-Dancing





	Keeping You With Me

Who would’ve thought that dancing would be vastly different from how people dance on the Coast or in the Empire? Jester certainly didn’t think it would be, but there were traditions and steps that were easy to pick up on but were still quite different. The sounds of rhythmic footsteps had been so prevalent in Jester’s life recently that she had begun to dance in her dreams. 

It seemed inappropriate to be having a ball in the Dynasty with the war still going on, especially since Caleb was  _ certain _ that something bad would happen (ever the pessimist), but the Xhorasian equivalent of a spring equinox was on the way, and despite the lack of a sun the people of Rosohna took holidays and seasons seriously. Though it was starting to feel like Jester was the only person taking learning the customs seriously.

The dance was this: A length of a silk scarf was shared between a pair, keeping them at a distance yet almost tethered together by this line. Along with other dancers, the partners would weave this line about, almost tying into knots but with a strategic flick of the wrist the partners could easily get the scarf loose. Every scarf was supposed to be a different color, giving an array of colors when a group of dancers were involved. As it was explained to Jester, it was meant to be a representation of the Luxon and consecration: of the many lives the people go through and the connections they make. It all seemed so  _ romantic _ to Jester, so important to get it right.

She, however, could barely get anyone to practice with her: Nott and Yeza were too short and a little nervous to be participating in such a display, Yasha had two left feet, Beau was apathetic about anything involving parties and balls, and Fjord would either get frustrated in the process or queasy at the prospect of being in close proximity to Jester. If there was anyone that she wished would dance with her, she was hoping it would be Fjord but he seemed hopeless. Caduceus at least made more of an effort, even if he was slightly too tall for Jester. The worst was probably Caleb, who kept hiding in his study and room for hours and would not-so-subtly avoid questions regarding dancing and balls.

Jester was getting desperate, even going to far as to ask Essik if he could practice with her.

“I’m sure you’ll do great, Jester.” The Shadowhand assured her.

“I mean  _ yeah _ totally but still!” She whined. 

He chuckled deeply. “I will be looking for you on the dance floor.”

Jester went with the motions while her eyes were closed. She knew that if she moved her eyes back and forth enough times that she’d eventually fall asleep. Beau’s snoring was rarely a hindrance, but the erratic nature of it was bothering her mental practice. Jester knew Beau couldn’t help it, so there was no point in waking her up and chastising the monk. Perhaps Jester should just think of something else and try to get some sleep… No, fuck that.

Jester threw off her covers and got up to leave the room, finding her flowery robe and putting it on in a huff. She just needed to get some air or to see if Caduceus had any tea left over from earlier. She needed to  _ relax _ and to  _ sleep _ and  _ not _ feel stupid for caring so much about this dance! Grabbing the handle, Jester flung the door open and was face-to-face with a startled Caleb.

Cursing in Zemmnian, a little light globule floated almost drunkenly around Caleb’s head. They were inches away from each other before Caleb had stepped back in surprise. Wearing his cotton tunic with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, Jester noted that he didn’t have his books on him. Her eyes wandered awkwardly to the opening in his shirt, the tuft of dark red hair poking out of it. Jester probably shouldn’t be reading her smutty romance novels before bed.

“Jester,” He breathed, his heavily accented tongue always made the hair on her neck stand up when he said her name. “I-I didn’t think you’d-”

“Did you need to talk to Beau?” Jester whispered. She looked behind herself and saw that Beau was still sound asleep.

“Ah, no. Nein.” He kind of looked around a little, almost shiftily. “Could you come down to the study, please?”

Jester raised one of her eyebrows, a smile began to curl on her lips.

“What is this about, Cayleb?” She could vaguely see the tips of Caleb’s ears get red as Jester stepped out of the door.

“I,” Caleb cleared his throat a little, trying not to speak too loudly. “I’ll explain downstairs. If you come down that is.” 

Eye contact with Caleb was always few and far between, so the fact that he was looking at her with the little quirk in his eyebrow made her almost feel giddy. An awkward smile bubbled around her lips and a giggle hissed from between her teeth. 

Jester grabbed the doorknob and slowly pulled it closed to her back, careful not to catch her tail in the door. Caleb led the way down to where the study was- though it was much more  _ his _ study than anyone else's. Jester sometimes felt bad that Caleb’s bedroom was so far away from everyone else, so far away from Nott. Staring at his back, Jester thought about the times they were on the road and sleeping under Caleb’s magic hut. Curled up and away from everyone else. 

He seemed to be standing a little bit taller at the moment.

There were a few lit candles in the study to lend more light in the study, including Caleb’s magic lantern that was floating above. The alchemist station was covered up.

“You are welcome to get angry with me,” Caleb went over to the device he had procured recently. It had come all the way from Whitestone in Tal’Dorei, and it played music all by itself. Jester had been a little put out that Caleb would keep something so cool in his stuffy study but it could just be an excuse to visit the room more often. “I know you can sometimes hold grudges.”

“I don’t hold grudges, Cayleb!” Jester objected.

“Yes but  _ you’ve _ been sulking about the house for days.” Caleb pulled out a length of silk fabric from behind his armchair, as if it was a magic trick. He wrapped it a couple of times around his hand, as if he was going to cover up his scars again but he stopped and brought the other end to Jester.

“You,” Jester’s voice faltered a little. “You’ve been practicing?”

“A little,” Caleb replied, his eyes were a little shifty. “I wanted to surprise you, at the ball…” He bit the bottom of his lip a little, a tick that Jester recognized when he was thinking about what next to say. “You are very good at hiding disappointment, Jester. I just happen to be very good at sensing it.”

Jester felt like she showed her disappointment very obviously; it was her M.O. when she wanted people to feel bad and get what she wanted. Hiding sadness, however, was probably more accurate. Maybe Caleb was just trying to make her feel better.

“So how good are you, Cayleb?” Jester held onto the other side. “Because  _ I’ve _ been practicing every moment I have. I’m getting  _ prettee _ good at it.”

The wizard chuckled a little. “I have no doubt about it. Do not forget, however,” With a flick of Caleb’s wrist, the silk tightened, creating a straight line from one hand to the other. “That I’ve a very dedicated student.” There was a slight wiggle to his eyebrow, a curve to his lip.

Jester’s smile matched Caleb’s. This is weird, right? The two of them together, getting ready to dance in the middle of the night. It was so out of the ordinary, so why did Jester feel so happy? So excited to be doing this, with  _ Caleb _ ?

Caleb waved his free hand and the needle on the musical device fell and the first few notes of the song started.

First it was a bow, letting the length almost touch the floor. Then they walked clockwise around each other, keeping the fabric taut between them. Neither pulling harder the other. It was a perfect balance. 

Jester spun first, bringing the silk above her head and twirling in her nightgown and robe. There was now a twist in the length. After that, Caleb turned, undoing the twist. That’s when it felt more like a game than a dance.

If there were more dancers, the lines of silk would cross each other, tangled up like a cat's cradle. Creating an intricate weave. With just the two of them, it was a competition. It wasn’t an art, it was a  _ dance _ .

What Jester knew about Caleb as a person could fit on one page of her journal, but if there was one thing she knew for certain was that he had a competitive streak. It wasn’t nearly as bad as Fjord’s, but he for certain didn’t like to lose or show weakness. Jester noted that Caleb seemed to be doing the steps almost confidently, almost  _ too _ confidently for Jester’s liking.

With a sickening grin, Jester twisted again and then tugged the length to her just as Caleb was going to undo it, sending him spinning towards her and getting wrapped up in the silk. Perfectly pinning his arms across himself.

“Jester!” He breathed, startled. “I-I don’t think that’s the right step.” Jester had her arm around him, his back pressed up against her.

“Isn’t it?” Jester purred. She swayed them to the rhythm of the music still, but half-hazaradly. “I thought I was the teacher and you were the student, Cayleb.”

“Jester.” He warned, twisting in his bindings slightly. She could see the tips of his ears going red again. “Can we please go back to dancing?”

“Fine.” Jester spun him back, and the wizard nearly tripped on the rug. The red from his ears seemed to have spread across his face. With his free hand, Caleb rubbed at his eyes and face, as if he could remove the flush. “Shall we?”

Caleb stood tall again, brushing a few loose hairs from away from his face. She saw that his mouth was not its usual strained and straight line, there was a subtle curve. It almost seemed relaxed, but Caleb’s eyes were all too familiar to her own.

“May I lead?” Caleb asked innocuously. 

Jester nodded, bowing to start the dance over gain. Once again they knew the rules well enough to keep the length between them at a straight line. After a few twists, Caleb and Jester stepped closer to each other, lifting the silk above them so that it wouldn’t touch the floor. The length grew shorter as they let silk wrap around their arms once more. Jester fumbled a little, almost getting both of her hands bound together, but she recovered.

Caleb’s eyebrows lifted a little in worry, a silent check-in as they kept dancing.

“Cayleb,” She smiled. “If you wanted me tied up, you could’ve just asked.”

The wizard barked a laugh, a more furious blush bloomed on his cheeks. His steps kept up, however. “Can’t get me that easy, Lavorre.”

“I dunno!” Jester said in a sing-song voice. “Your face is getting pretty red.”

He huffed. “I’m doing this out of the goodness of my, as you say,  _ pretty big heart _ .” Caleb’s voice dipped into the lilting tone of Jester’s, though it was of course a pretty bad imitation. “I have no ulterior motives.”

“Really?”

He didn’t reply. There was something in Caleb’s face that showed he was lying, which Jester thought was strange because he was usually very good a lying (not better than her, obviously). There was a softness that made him look younger, softer. And then he pulled on the silk, dragging her to him.

Instantly, Caleb had one of her hands in his and his free hand at her waist. “Maybe one ulterior motive.”


End file.
